In this challenging time, I want to encourage all of us (including me!) to live the Serenity Prayer ~ let’s accept what we cannot change, have the courage to change what we can and the wisdom to know the difference.
What we can do, in addition to following all recommended Guidelines:
Recent research regarding the healing power of the arts reveals how deeply the arts can affect us in a positive way.
My personal background includes writing “poetry” at age 8 and beyond to express what was unsafe and reveal what was otherwise repressed; my years in dance and theatre provided outlets for my body and voice to express what otherwise could not be said; hours at the piano and coloring “in the lines” and painting “by number” provided safe “containers” for feelings that were unprocessed. Those who know me have often heard me say, “The arts and God’s grace saved me”.
What if you were able to reduce the stress in your everyday life just by looking? Or what about improving one’s mood? How would you do that?
The answer may be Art!
In my journey as an artist, I believe that Art and Healing are connected. Through my gift of art, I have found a way to convey this belief. For me, “looking at nature” is an amazing way to de-stress, and change one’s mood. It’s a way of taking the natural environment and using it to transcend the hustle, and bustle. Our busy lives don’t often allow us time to get away, but I find that “looking at a beautiful piece of Art” can produce these results, too.